What is the difference between foil and rotary shaver?

Shavers design: Both foil type electric razors and rotary razors are ergonomically designed. While the foil type shaver resembles the manual razors in some way, the rotary shavers look quite different due to the cutters on the head. A foil type razor has a rectangular head. The key difference in design is in the head section.

Rectangle Vs circle

A foil shaver’s blades are covered by a rectangular metal, with patterned holes for raising and arranging hair. Rotary shaver, on the other hand, has three to five circular that cover the blades underneath. There’s an ongoing debate among razor experts as to determine whether the round shape or rectangular shape is more effective.

Shaving speed: Good foil shavers have high vibration rates and you may get 14K cycles every minute. Though some rotary electric shavers have good speed, generally rotary shavers are a lot slower than the foil shavers. Due to high speed, foil shavers shave sideburns and mustaches a lot better than the rotary shavers as they have a straight line shape.

Shaving pattern: Though foil shavers have widely varying patterns, the most common of them all is short silt, a wide and long slit, and a rounder hole. The hole facilitates raising the hairs of varied lengths. Rotary shavers, on the other hand, move in a circular pattern and cut the hairs.

Different contour: As far as design aspects are concerned, rotary and foil shavers are a lot different from each other. Since a rotary shaver is small, it gives you better access to the tight corners of your face. Foil shavers are not as good as rotary shavers when it comes to contour. An average rotary shaver has definitely a better contour.

Ergonomic cutting style and location: Since the foil shaver has a natural straight line shape, trimming or shaving the edges of a mustache or the side burn comes easy with a foil shaver at your disposal. Women can also find these foil shavers quite handy for shaving and trimming public hair. You need to use a trimmer with a rotary shaver to trim your sideburns or mustache edges perfectly.

Maintenance aspect: Foil shavers are easier to maintain compared to the rotary ones, particularly due to the rectangular head. You can effortlessly blow the dust or the hairs on the head. You can also remove the head of the rotary shaver to clean it completely. However, maintenance ease varies from one model to another.

Braun, the world’s top foil electric razor brand, has made this electric shaver for men who shave once or twice a week.

The product is dubbed as the most efficient shaver in the line of shaving products from Braun.

Advanced SyncroSonic technology is what makes this shaver so special. 4 special cutting elements have been brilliantly synergized and the Sonic Technology is capable of providing 40,000 cross cuttings every minute.

Top 3 rotary shaver reviews

Each shaving head of the Philips shaver moves in no less than eight directions.

Riding on the breakthrough Contour Detect technology, the Philips Norelco shaver quite intelligently contours to the smallest curve of the face.

The Contour detect technology also helps in cutting 20% more hair than any other foil or rotary shaver with a single stroke. The V-track precision blades are highly effective in collecting facial hair.

To add to all these, the Philips Norelco S9311/84 won the prestigious iF design award in 2015.

Check the design out and you will understand why this one is being dubbed as one of the most stylish shavers on the market.

The Aquatec technology helps you get a wet or dry shave in or outside the shower anytime.

The Li-ion batteries provide 50 minutes of continuous shaving with just one hour of charging, whereas you can just charge it for 5 minutes to get adequate power for a full shave.

It is simply the outstanding electric shaver under $100 The Philips Norelco 1150X/46 Shaver 6100 is a sleek and smart shaver that has GyroFlex 2D technology at core for providing maximum comfort and precision.

The two-dimensional contouring technology helps the head pivot in a circular way as well as tilt inward.

The technology is also instrumental in following each contour and curve, thereby minimizing pressure and skin irritation.

The Shaver 6100 comes accompanied with a protective cap, a trimmer head, a power cord and a cleaning brush.

The DualPrecision heads have different slots to shave normal hairs and holes for shaving the stubbles.

It has a bon-slip grip and is ideal for both wet and dry shaving. By charging it for one hour, you can get 40 minutes of non-stop shave.

There’s also a quick charge option, which allows you to charge the shaver for three minutes for a quick full shave.

Things to consider when buying a best foil or rotary shaver?

Shaver with a pivoting head: Shaving heads that pivot are considered more flexible and reach the contours of the face quite easily. Many high-end models of electric shavers come with pivoting heads and you can choose these shavers for everyday shaving. Typically, rotary shavers come with two to five pivoting heads, though some foil shavers also have pivoting heads.

Suitable size: In general, foil shavers are larger than rotary shavers, which does not make them the most travel friendly electric shaver.That said, both have their own sets of pros and cons. While smaller shavers can easily reach tighter corners of your face such as the space just below your lower lip, the larger ones can remove more facial hair with each stroke.

Does the shaver waterproof? You can use waterproof shavers in your bathroom with foam or gel. Though electric shavers were invented for facilitating fast and dry shaving, many manufacturers these days come up with waterproof shavers. Keep in mind that some shavers are just water resistant, which means you can rinse them after use but they are not actually safe for use with foam or gel.

Shaver with an ergonomic handle: The handle design should be taken into consideration besides the other aspects. An electric shaver that has an ergonomic handle would reduce the Royal Pain of shaving to a great extent, especially when you are shaving for a long period of time. Look for electric shavers that come with anti-slip grips.

Easy to clean: If cleaning shavers is something you hate, go for models that have self-cleaning abilities. You just need to place this type of razor on a dock to clean it. The razor can also get charged during the process of cleaning. Alternatively, you can use the tested dry bush method to clean your shaver.

Low battery warning: If you are going for a rechargeable or a battery powered electrical shaver, you should look for shavers that indicate while the battery is low. This helps you understand when it is the right time to change the batteries or to plug in the shaver to the power supply socket.

Automatic shutoff facility: Like in all other electric devices, overcharging will harm your shaver’s battery. Therefore, it’s useful to look for a shaver that has an auto shutoff facility. A shaver of this type stops taking charge whenever the battery is fully charged. A shaver of this type has a long work life due to the long life of the batteries.

Faq (frequently asked questions)

Is rotary electric shaver good for sensitive skin?

Though there are few great models of rotary shavers that are just perfect for sensitive skins, foil shavers are usually chosen over rotary ones by people who are prone to skin irritation and redness. This is due to the fact that foil shavers provide closer shave compared to the rotary shavers.

On the other hand, some rotary models forcefully pull out hairs, which can create some discomfort and irritation. If you do not need daily shaving and you have dense or long beard, choosing rotary shavers won’t be a bad idea.

Does foil electric razor work for tough beard?

Foil type razors cut back instead of rotating in a circular pattern. Therefore, these razors pull the tough beards of their roots and nip them off. Many razors from reputable manufacturers use the ‘lift and snip’ process to shave the tough beard.

Rotary shavers are not really a wise choice for people who have dense and tough beard. Choose from high-end foil type electric shavers to get a good shave even if you have tough beard.

How to shave your pubic area with a foil electric razor?

For shaving your public hair, you need to wash the area with soap before bringing a shaver into play.

Use a gentle gel and remove the hair from the outskirts first. After that, trim the hair on landing strip. After that, give the entire area an overall trim.

Be careful when you trim the hair in these areas. Things that you will need for shaving your public area are a good foil razor, unscented gel and lotion, a trimmer and a mirror.

Foil or rotary! Which shaver gives you better bald shave?

Since foil shavers are usually considered ideal for small hair, choosing a foil hair for a bald shave is advisable.

There are both foil and rotary shavers for bald heads and you can easily shave your head perfectly well with the right tool. All that you need to do is to read reviews of shavers for taking the right decision.

Final word In a way, the foil vs rotary is a useless debate since choosing a shaver very much depends on personal preferences. With time, both foil and rotary shaver manufacturers have come up with models that have overcome the shortcomings of their predecessors. Therefore, you should do your own research and listen to your heart while choosing an electric shaver.

Foil vs rotary shaver- Who takes the glory of the best electric razor 2016-03-16T08:11:24+00:00 2017-03-20T20:37:23+00:00Dev Gupta